NFL

Cardinals lose 34-22 to Seahawks

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP)

A sluggish start staggered the Arizona Cardinals. An inability
to run the ball or keep defenders off their quarterback finished
them off.

Carson Palmer was sacked seven times and the Cardinals had
almost no run game to take the pressure off him, killing their
chances of a comeback in a 34-22 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on
Thursday night.

''We've got to figure out ways to start faster, both sides of
the ball,'' Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said. ''We came out
sluggish. No excuses playing on a Thursday Night Football and all
that crap. We didn't break a sweat all week, so we should have been
fresh and we didn't play at the speed of the game that they played
at the start of the game.''

Arians talked to his players during the short week about getting
off to a good start against the NFC West-leading Seahawks
(6-1).

They didn't do it. Didn't really come close, either.

Arizona's offense stumbled in its first few drives, a stretch
that included Palmer's first interception on a deflected pass.

The Cardinals' defense, the strong part of the team so far this
season, had all kinds of trouble with Seattle's offense, giving up
a pair of touchdown passes by Russell Wilson to trail 14-0 early in
the second quarter.

Arizona (3-4) managed to claw within 17-10 by halftime, thanks
to a sack and fumble by the defense deep in Seattle's end, but
couldn't keep the momentum going.

The Cardinals' offense continued to labor until a late drive in
the fourth quarter, giving up a season-high in sacks while
generating 30 yards on 18 carries. Arizona finished with 234 total
yards.

''Obviously, it was not our best,'' Arians said. ''The last few
drives were OK in the 2-minute catch-up, but you have to run the
football with some amount of success and we didn't get that
done.''

Palmer had some ups and downs in his first game against his
former college coach Pete Carroll.

He finished with 258 yards on 30-of-45 passing, but had two
interceptions and padded his numbers in a couple of fourth-quarter
drives with Seattle's defense backing off, including an 8-yard
touchdown pass to Jaron Brown.

His first interception was on breakup by Brandon Browner that
Earl Thomas snagged, but his second came when Browner stepped in
front of Michael Floyd and returned the pick 49 yards to Arizona's
1. That set up Marshawn Lynch's 2-yard touchdown run that put the
Seahawks up 31-13 and the game all but out of reach.

They were flat early and Wilson beat them for two touchdown
passes: a 31-yarder to Sidney Rice and a 15-yarder to Miller, who
made a diving catch in the back of the end zone after missing the
previous two games with a hamstring injury.

The Cardinals' D keyed a rally late in the second half with a
sack by Matt Shaughnessy caused a fumble that was recovered by
Calais Campbell at Seattle's 3. Rashard Mendenhall scored through a
huge hole off right tackle for the Cardinals' first touchdown
against Seattle since Sept. 9, 2012.

But after Jay Feely's third field goal, from 52 yards, cut
Seattle's lead to 17-13, the Cardinals couldn't stop Wilson and the
Seahawks.

Seattle's agile-but-undersized quarterback kept Seattle's first
drive of the second half going by throwing as he was his falling
for a 6-yard completion to Zach Miller on a third-and-3. Wilson
capped the drive by throwing a 1-yard touchdown to Kellen Davis in
the back of the end zone.

Wilson finished 18 of 29 for 235 yards and three touchdowns in
the stadium where he lost in his NFL debut last season. Lynch
finished with 91 yards on 21 carries to give the Seahawks a nice
balance.

''This was a really cool night for our football team,'' Carroll
said. ''We wanted to get on the road and get this thing done and
continue to feel good about our ability to win on the road. It was
a game that got tight and we pulled away and put it in
control.''

Notes: Seattle lost two players to hamstring injuries in the
first half, strong safety Jeron Johnson and fullback Derrick
Coleman. ... Arizona's John Abraham's first two sacks as a Cardinal
give him 124 for his career, most among active players. ...
Campbell played after being carted off the field in San Francisco
on Sunday strapped down to a stretcher with what Arians said was a
bruised spine.

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